


your touch infuriates me.

by softchimchimmie



Series: Fated [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bonding, Corrin - Male Unit, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, I don't actually know how to play poker..., Kamui - Female Unit, M/M, My Unit | Kamui | Corrin Twins, Strip Poker, Teasing, Teenage Parent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-04-20 13:02:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14261559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softchimchimmie/pseuds/softchimchimmie
Summary: Corrin is used to keeping himself covered until he's roped into a game of strip poker.





	1. him - 0.1

Corrin was usually preceptive when it came to the antics of his best friend. 

Hell, his best friend was known for having a serious demeanor, how she got roped into playing strip poker with her friends was a mystery in on itself. Why she dragged him along was another thing. He really couldn’t deny her even if he tried, Azura had gone through the worse of humiliations along with him, so it was only collateral that he come along. 

They had ended up waiting around in the living room of Azura’s apartment, hanging around until they heard the sound of the front door open. The first to pop in was someone he quickly recognized to be Azura’s soulmate, Inigo, a freshman who he shared little classes with. 

Inigo was quick to settle beside Azura, nuzzling into her as she passively waved at the remaining three who trailed in a little later. 

Corrin didn’t recognize any of them, assuming that they were upperclassmen that he never really interacted with. He couldn’t help sinking back into the couch, seemingly ignored as Azura greeted them. 

As if a light went off in Azura’s mind, her attention reverted to Corrin, “Ah, you must not know them…” she murmured, “Corrin, this is Niles, Odin, and Kagerou, upperclassmen,” she listed, pointing to the group of three. 

“Well, why don’t we get to the game and introduce the rules to Corrin?” Kagerou asked, helping Odin pull the coffee table to the center of the room, a deck of cards already resting on the surface. 

“Of course, of course, Niles? Will you do the honors?” Azura asked. 

The white haired male took the deck of cards into his hands, making a show out of shuffling them. 

“We usually follow the traditional rules, Texas Hold ‘em style poker. I trust you know the hands that you can do? What the different rounds consist of?” he asked. Corrin nodded numbly, feeling his nerves begin to crawl as the other continued, “Since you’re our guest, you can pick how punishment is decided. Either the losing hand has to strip off one article of clothing, the winning hand chooses who loses one article… or… we all bet multiple articles of clothing as the stakes rise.”

“I’d suspect betting multiple would be less difficult considering we all are wearing varying amounts…” he said, fingers fumbling with the trim of his shirt.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Odin’s grin widening, while the other three were taking their spots around the table. By the time Niles handed the cards over to Kagerou, Niles and Corrin were at the heads of the table while Kagerou and Azura were to the right of him, and Odin and Inigo were on the other. 

“Odin will name small bet and Corrin will name big,” Kagerou murmured, giving the cards an extra shuffle for assurance. 

“I’ll go with one,” Odin said, leaning back against the couch. 

“Three,” Corrin huffed, already feeling a bit of tension between the other four players. Kagerou sported a tiny smirk as she nodded. 

A round of matches confirmed the bet. Kagerou dealt the cards. 

Corrin inspected them quietly. A 4 and 5 of hearts. 

“Odin?” Kagerou murmured, eyes glancing over. 

A small chuckle from the other end of the table. 

“Fold,” Odin said, passing her the cards. Corrin’s eyes glanced back down. 

“Match,” he said, hesitant to continue. He could only hope that luck would have him. 

“Fold,” Inigo said casually, passing the cards and sitting back a bit. 

It confused him a bit. They couldn’t have been that afraid to continue on when they still had the time to back out and see if they could test their luck, though they both seemed more amused than distraught for having to back out. 

Corrin’s eyes dragged up to see the look etched onto their dealer’s face, barely able to make herself hold a presence of stoicness as Niles finally set down his cards. 

“Raise. 4 pieces of clothing.” 

“Match,” Azura murmured, a glint in her eyes that Corrin couldn’t quite categorize as anything but suspicious.

“Match…” Corrin trailed, uncertainty laced in his voice as he watched Kagerou lay out their first three community cards, leaving one faced down beside them. 

3 of clubs, 6 of diamonds, and king of spades. 

He swallowed, glancing back down at his cards. He was never one to back down from his challenge, though he was also never quite the type to give in so early in the game. 

“Raise. 5,” Corrin said, glancing at Niles who seemingly nodded in approval. 

“Match,” he said, his amusement seeming to heighten as the ante did. 

“Fold,” she said, a slight mirth in her voice as she slid the cards back, leaning back with the support of one of her hands. 

Another card was discarded, another pressed in line with the community cards. 

7 of hearts. 

He remained collected. Even with his hand, Niles could full well have a higher one considering how confident he seemed to be. Kagerou glanced at him, eyebrow raised as she waited for his call. He was debating whether to just throw everything into the air and forfeit, but he couldn’t help but ponder the what if’s of continuing. 

“Match,” he meekly said, pressing his cards face down on the table. 

“Raise. All clothes,” Niles said, earning a chorus of whoops from both Odin and Inigo as they were pulled from their bored state and back to paying attention. Azura let out a huff of laughter, whispering a small comment to Kagerou, who in turn, also shared a moment of mirth with the blue haired girl. 

“Match,” Corrin repeated, watching the next card to be discarded before a next was placed heads up as the final community card. 

7 of diamonds. 

“Let’s see your hands,” Inigo said, seemingly impatient. Niles was the first to flip his over. 

King of hearts and a 7 of spades.

He flipped his cards over. 

Corrin shuddered as he inspected both hands. 

He supposed he should have known better. 

“Full house,” Niles supplied, resting his elbows on the table as he leaned in.

He most definitely shouldn’t have rushed in. 

Azura seemed more entertained over her friend’s predicament.

“Well, off with it,” Inigo said, waving his hand in a random motion.

Corrin getting more and more insecure as he began to slip his socks off first, the worry pecking at his skin. The small coos that came from Odin, Niles, and Inigo didn’t help whatsoever, only causing his nervousness to wrack his mind as his shirt came off. Kagerou let out a small gasp, having the slightest of view of his back. Once the majority of his clothes were in a pile beside him, Azura promptly stopped him once he was only in his undergarment. 

“That’s enough,” she said, letting out a calm laugh at the indignant noise that Niles made, “I should’ve known you wouldn’t back out, Niles is ever the charmer when it comes to his hands.”

“Is that why you all…” 

“Sort of, sorry, man,” Inigo said, grinning apologetically, “The only people who’ve ever successfully won against him without luck has been Xander and Saizo, though they couldn’t accompany us today… and these games were becoming a bit boring…”

If he didn’t have any more self-restraint, Corrin would’ve been fuming, though it only made him remember the spectacle he was making. His face burned, filing down to even his shoulders. 

“Though I am unsure as to why you’re so nervous,” Kagerou murmured, reassembling the deck and beginning to shuffle them, “Your back is quite beautiful, I wonder what it would look like once finished,” she complimented softly, laughing as it only made Corrin fluster more, eyes wide. Azura and Inigo, almost spontaneously, leaned over the respective person on their sides to inspect Corrin’s back. 

Corrin had scarce seen it, though it was large, he found himself not too fond of looking into mirrors in general. From what he concluded, the colors that had made his soulmate mark consisted of pastels that painted a leafless tree, floor scuttled with grass. He never once questioned it, nor checked it to see if anything had ever changed on it. 

What threw him out of his mindless state was when he noticed that Niles was not too subtly walking over, crouching down to inspect the piece itself. 

He could feel his own nails dig into his leg as Niles’ hand brushed, gently he had to mention, not expecting such a touch. 

He swallowed, feeling breathless when heat, warmth, began to take over the plane of his back. He already knew what had happened, and by the look on Niles’ face, he did, too.


	2. visit - 1.1

The feeling of needing to runaway had never been so strong to Corrin as he recoiled from Niles’ touch, not liking the feeling of missing the warmth he had once been engulfed in simply by the brush of fingers. 

The sense of longing that boiled in his stomach caused him to feel sick. 

“Corrin…” Azura said softly, approaching and nudging Niles away. “Let’s get you dressed, it’ll be alright,” she mumbled, gathering his clothes for him. He put it on with little to no effort, feeling a heavy weight on his shoulders as he sat there. 

“Guys, I’ll be back, alright?” Azura asked, helping Corrin onto his feet. To her, it was weird to see him so out of it, looking so vulnerable. He usually kept himself calm, at least as much as he could. 

Once they were situated in the car, Azura turned to him, taking his hand with a soft hum. 

“Corrin, you’re dwelling over her, aren’t you?” she asked quietly, kneading her thumbs into the back of his hand, “She’s not going to be angry, you know? She loves you more than anything and would want what’s best for you.”

He couldn’t help the humorless laugh that he let out, hanging his head, “You two are so like minded sometimes. She said the exact same thing to me and it’s sort of uncanny if I’m being entirely honest.” 

What he felt wasn’t unwarranted. How could he be out having friends, having fun… and most importantly, falling in love when he was all his sister had left? 

“Kamui is going to want you to love. She’s going to want you to grow up and live moment by moment. She won’t hate you for it,” she continued, using a soft tone that he could barely sense was supposed to be a bit motherly. “Anyways, when was the last time you visited her? Last time the doctor checked in with me, he said that she’s been being wheelchaired around… and that she misses you.”

“It’s been… a while if I’m being honest. I’ve spent so much time just sitting outside of her room that's just… the last time I saw her she was still recovering from the surgery and couldn’t even recognize me… even when she was slightly coherent, I was too scared to say anything to her,” he responded, lifting his head when he heard the car begin to start, “I really should go back one of these days but I’m just…”

“I understand,” Azura nodded, backing out of the parking lot, “I can have Tsubaki take you this weekend if you’d like.”

Her expression became thoughtful for a moment, “He’s going to see his girlfriend, so you don’t have to think you’re being an inconvenience. He stays for a while so he won’t mind taking you home after.” 

“I’ll take him up on his offer then…” he said, giving Azura a small smile, trying to convey that he was going to be okay. The content squeeze she gave his hand was enough to tell him that she had received his message.


	3. visit - 1.2

The week had passed uneventfully, filled with Corrin attempting to make time with Azura while also trying to avoid all the upperclassmen who were apart of the poker game. If anything, he was mainly just trying to avoid Niles at all cost, always seeming to catch the junior in the corner of his eye. 

With the week coming to a close, it was soon enough that he was staring in slight awe when a motorcycle pulled into the front of his small home, startling his pet bunnies and causing them to burrow into the small beds in their cage. 

He lived in a silent area, so such a loud sound was foreign at his side of town. He was in a slight rush to calm them down, knowing the dangers of scaring the small animals. They were back to scampering around in no time, leaving Corrin relieved as he finally exited his home. 

“You ‘ought to be a bit quieter,” he huffed, seeing the apologetic look on Tsubaki’s face as he held out a helmet for him. He secured it on his head and hopped on, letting out a small squawk when Tsubaki began to speed off, quickly wrapping his arms around the older male. “I’m going to murder you when you stop this,” he yelled, only receiving a laugh in response. 

By the time they’d gotten parked in front of the hospital, Corrin’s fright had simmered down and he was instead grateful, the ride allowing them to calm down and think during the long ride it took to make it to the building. 

“Just text me when you’d like to leave,” Tsubaki said, leading him inside. They split ways at the elevator, the familiarity sinking in as Corrin headed for the stairs. 

Fourth level, room 349.

He rolled on his heels, letting out a deep breath. It’d been a long time since he’d come to the room, well, it’d been a long time since he’d had the courage to open it. His fingers lingered on the knob, though his concentration was cut off by a voice from down the corridor. 

“Mr. Corrin?”

His head turned, seeing a small girl standing and peaking around the corner of the adjacent hallway. 

He rose an eyebrow, walking over and crouching down in front of her. 

“Nina? What are you doing here?” He asked softly, accepting her into an embrace when she wrapped her arms around his neck. He lifted her up, rocking her slowly.

“Daddy comes here to…” she trailed, scrunching her face a bit as she tried to come up with the words, “Something… do something…” 

Corrin’s eyes softened as he nodded, “Well, I’m here to see my sister… maybe you could meet her if your dad allowed it.”

She seemed to visibly brighten at that. He settled on the floor beside the door to his sister’s room and proceeded to play with the little girl, allowing her to hop around and play on his phone. He’d begun to doze off once Nina had tired, resting quietly in his arms. 

He swore that his eyes had only been closed for a moment, though when his eyes opened, the light that had once flooded through the large paneled windows had diminished under the horizon. He shifted a bit, hearing the soft hitch of breath as he shifted the small bundle in his arms. It didn’t take him long to be aware of the warmth that had draped over his body in the form of a blue jacket. Nina stirred a bit, though made no move to wake up fully. 

“Good morning,” he heard, tilting his head up to see the one person he was attempting to avoid leaning against the wall beside him. 

“Niles,” he said, voice rising an octave as he looked down at Nina. “What are you doing here?” he questioned, play with the stray fringes that had fallen from her braids. 

“No reason,” he shrugged, “Though I ‘ought to get going…” 

Niles seemed a bit cautious as he pushed himself from the wall, “And I’ll need to take my daughter along,” he said, gesturing towards the girl. His demeanor seemed to change a bit, almost nervous. 

Nina’s eyes opened to the sound of her father’s voice, “Daddy?”

He leaned down, taking the girl into his arms when she reached her arms out, “Hey baby,” he whispered, keeping her close and resting her head on his shoulder, “You can go back to sleep…”

“I wanna meet Mr. Corrin’s sister though,” she whined tiredly, puffing her cheeks out. 

“Maybe next time we’re here, okay? It’s nearly bedtime for you, and you’re tired.” 

The little girl seemed to be a bit off put by this.

“Five minutes…?” she asked. 

Corrin couldn’t see what her face looked like, but by the conflict in Niles’ face, he can only imagine she was pulling her teary puppy dog eyes as a tactic to convince him. 

“Just five minutes,” he said, letting out a soft sigh as he shifted her to one arm and offered a hand to Corrin. He took it with the slightest hesitation and was pulled up. Corrin kept a grip on the jacket, not wanting it to hit the floor as he stood. Corrin beckoned them to follow the few steps it took to reach the door. 

He bit his lip a bit. He figured with Nina there it might’ve been easier, though he could still feel the nervousness creep up on him. 

“Hey…”

Niles voice was much softer than it had been as if being in the hospital had changed him entirely.

“Take your time.”

He swallowed, nodding. His hand wrapped around the knob, having a difficult time turning it as sweat began to form on his palm. 

“Niles…” his voice tiny as he looked back at the other, “I’m scared.” 

Niles let out a tiny breath, before reaching his free hand out, setting it on top of Corrin’s hand, causing the same warmth to almost immediately enveloping him. Niles supplied the force needed to twist the knob and open it, hand settling on the small of Corrin’s back to urge him inside. 

Corrin’s eyes landed on his sibling, resting quietly in bed. 

“Kamui,” he said, name uttered without a single thought. His hand slipped from Niles as he stepped closer, slipping to his knees by her bedside and taking her hand. 

Kamui’s eyes opened upon feeling the pressure on her hand. Her eyes drifted to him, and a soft, exasperated laugh escaped her. 

“Now look who’s the crybaby,” she said, no ill intent in her voice as her free hand reached over to run through his hair. 

Corrin let out a small, relieved sob as he kneeled there, pressing his face into the covers of the bed in an attempt to stifle whatever it was causing him to show such a vulnerable sight. 

“Sister,” he croaked, “I’m so sorry, I---”

“Nuh-uh,” she silenced, “It’s alright Corrin.” 

“But---”

“Nope.”

“I---”

“No.”

Corrin let out a laugh, bringing his palm up to wipe his tears away, “You’re just having fun now,” he said, squeezing out a last tear before he looked up again. 

“It’s been a long time since I was able to tease my little brother,” she said, smiling fondly, “Hey, the waterworks cans top now!” she quickly huffed, grabbing a tissue from the side table and delicately wiping away the new pool that had risen in Corrin’s eyes. Her eyes drifted to both Niles and Nina who had set themselves near the door, though she didn’t miss the hint of curiosity in the man’s eyes. 

“Who are these two?” she asked, smile warm as she led one of Corrin’s hand a bit closer, made it a lot easier to hold.

“Niles and Nina,” Corrin said, letting out an awkward cough. “Nina is one of the children at the daycare I volunteer at. Niles is my…” Kamui’s eyes brightened, Corrin hesitated. 

“Classmate,” Niles intervened, causing Kamui to dim a bit. 

“It’s good to know that corrin had friends, he’s always been glued to my side, so I was worried!” she exclaimed, though her words were a bit strained. 

“Sister,” Corrin said, face glowing red, “Please don’t say such things---”

“And he’s always so flustered when flirted with! A charmer he is, always getting the attention of all the guys…”

“Please, sister, this is embarrassing!”

“Oh, but brother, is what I’m saying not true? You used to always glow whenever you were given such attention, but it seems you’ve become more docile since I was admitted, no?” she asked, caressing his hair. 

He didn’t know whether his blush was one of timidity or of humiliation, perhaps both. 

“Well, it’s good to know that Corrin can handle a bit of teasing,” Niles said, voice filled with light mirth as he stepped forward, leaning down as Nina stumbled out of his arms and onto the floor, feet scurrying to the other side to be beside Corrin. 

“Hello, Nina was it?” she asked, watching Corrin help her up onto the bed. Nine carefully maneuvered herself so that her legs hung off the side of the bed and she was very lightly leaning against Kamui. 

“Mhmm!! N-i-n-a! Papa taught me how to write my name,” she said, enthusiastic. 

“He’s a really good papa than, right?” Kamui asked, pulling her in with her free arm. 

“Yep! Even though he tells me to keep it a secret---”

“Nina, please.”

“He learned the songs in Sesame Street and sings them to me! He even buys me cake when my dentist tells him not to! Sometimes,” she gestured for them to come closer. They leaned in. “He sometimes does my homework for me when we’re running late--- so I purposely “forget”, she used quotations, “To do it.”

Both Corrin and Kamui looked at each other. Kamui was barely able to reserve herself, covering her mouth, but months of Corrin hanging around cheeky and disobedient kids had changed him into an accomplice to each deed committed by his young companions.

The scandalous laugh that he let out caused Nina to bubble up as he leaned in close.

“He did what?” he asked, voice a whisper as he snuck a glance at Niles who was covering his face with one of his hands. 

Nina leaned in and whispered nonsense into his ear, mainly just breathing heavily as she in turn also glanced at her father. 

He pulled faces of shock, delight, and most often, threw smug looks towards his soulmate. 

Kamui only watched, giggling at the whole scene in front of her, not helping but break out into full laughter once she heard the utterance of “he did it in front of my salad” and “he once dropped my croissant.”

“Thank you for telling me the truth, Nina, I don’t think I’d ever know this about Niles if you’d never told me,” Corrin said, fingers against his mouth to stop himself from smiling far too widely. 

“Hey Corrin,” Niles called, causing said male to turn his head, “Wanna go out for dinner with us?” 

“Oooh, right, right! Do you like brunch? Or would it be… brupper…?”

Kamui cooed, giving the girl a hug. 

“Well, I wouldn’t want to impose…”

“You wouldn’t be! Papa would be so, so happy!” Nine grinned, “Come on, come on!”

How could he deny her when she looked so happy? He nodded. 

“Before you go, could I have a moment with my dear brother?” Kamui asked, placing a kiss onto Nina’s temple. 

“Of course,” Niles said, stalking over to scoop Nina into the air, causing her to let out a squeal as he did. Kamui smiled fondly as they walked out. 

“He fits you so perfectly,” she commented, not missing the way her brother flustered. 

“I’ve never seen him so…”

“Domestic?” she asked, causing him to blink. “He didn’t seem too fond of showing such a side around us other than his daughter.”

“I’ve heard him around here, the nurses are quite the gossipers when it comes to frequenters of the hospital… though I’ve heard he is quite vulgar, he’s known to be quite the family man in front of his daughter, cleaned up his language when around her.”

Corrin had a thoughtful expression as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. 

“Now, off to your date, yes?” she joked.

“Oh shut up.”


	4. visit - 1.3

Once Corrin exited the room, room, a tiny body barrelled into his leg, wrapping around it. Corrin let out a light laugh when he saw Nina was the one to grapple to him. He was used to this sort of thing, hearing the excited giggles that escaped her as he began to walk towards the elevator where Niles was waiting for them. 

“Traitor,” he heard Niles mutter, once he was close enough, Niles lightly tapped Nina with the side of his foot, eliciting another fluttery laugh from the girl. When the elevator door opened, they both bounded in, Nina still clutching his leg like a lifeline. 

Corrin slipped his phone from his pocket, noticing the many texts that Tsubaki had sent him. Lines asking him about what he was up to, where he was, and if he wanted to leave yet were sent in droves. 

He huffed a small laugh when an incoming text popped up at the very bottom, assuming the worst happened to him. Niles leaned over, eyes gleaming with amusement as he skimmed the texts. 

He sent a small text explaining the situation, nudging Niles a bit as they reached the bottom floor. 

“Did you come here by car?” Corrin asked. Niles shook his head, taking Nina’s hand.

“We get our daily exercise walking here, I hope you don’t mind?”

“‘Course not,” he said, taking Nina’s hand when offered.

They’d been walking a fair amount before Nina practically ripped her hand out of his grip, huddling behind her father. He peered a bit further and noticed they were about to pass a park that was littered with children running around and playing. 

Niles hummed softly, keeping an arm around her. Corrin walked closer, setting a firm hand on her shoulder. 

He knew scarcely of her anxiousness towards the opposite gender, though it seemed as if it were some sort of ritual by the way that Niles had naturally become a protective shield between Nina and the other children. 

He had to admit that the change had surprised him by a tenfold, though it was nice to see him clean himself up if only for the wellbeing of his daughter. 

“Over there!” Nina shouted, ready to burst into a sprint if it weren’t for Nile’s hands going to her shoulders to keep her from running straight into the road. 

The restaurant that they arrived at was small, held a calm ambiance compared to the busy streets that were muted by the glass that separated the inside from out. They settled at a booth near the windows, a waiter coming over to give them menus and setting down water. 

The entire meal was sort of uneventful (besides the time that Nina and Niles decided to fling some food at each other.)

The mood only heightened when the manager kicked them out (Corrin supposed again by the way the words seemed to be fond of them despite the underlying harshness of their voice.)

“I can’t believe you two,” Corrin chuckled, shaking his head. By then, the moon had settled high in the side, the three standing idle, “And it doesn’t help that you are up,” he looked at Nina, “Way past your bedtime, missy.”

She let out a small yawn, attaching herself to Corrin’s leg again.

“Now, don’t fall asleep. I don’t want you falling off,” he chuckled, reaching down to at her head. 

“Do you want us to walk you home?” Niles asked, “Or if you’d like, you could spend the night with me.”

Corrin was baffled by the nonchalantness of the statement, face flustered as he smacked Niles’ shoulder. 

“With us! Us,” Niles said, voice teasing as his laughter grew louder. 

“I have to admit… I live really far away,” Corrin sighed, not wanting to try and catch a taxi and pay more than he needed to, “If you’d allow me, could I?”

“You can sleep with Papa and I!” Nina said, beaming up at him.

Corrin gave Niles a questioning stare, though followed him as they entered a narrow alley. 

“Home, home~” Nina chimed, hopping to her feet. She pulled a necklace from beneath her shirt, using the key attached to unlock the door. 

“Home, sweet home,” Niles murmured, hanging his jacket on a coat rack where a small blue backpack, satchel, and soon Nina’s jacket was placed on the last peg. 

Nina leaped onto her father’s back, the man laughing as he headed up the stairs, Corrin following behind and inspecting the picture frames that they passed. Pictures of both Niles and Nina, or some of just Nina were hung crookedly, though each one seemed endearing and outright adorable. 

At the top of the stairs, there were two doors, “That’s the bathroom,” Niles said, gesturing towards the door at the end of the short hallway, “And this---” “Is our room!” Nina interrupted, throwing the door open when her feet landed on the floor. 

It was small, a twin sized bed pressed into a corner and a closet stationed at the foot of it. There were taped up drawings scattered across the wall. Light illuminated the room from a lamp that was placed atop of a desk adjacent to the bed. 

Nina bounded towards the closet, opening one of the drawers to pull out a pair of strawberry printed pajamas, “Pa, can you re-do my braids before I go to sleep?” she asked, pulling the ties that bound her hair and ruffling it until it splayed around her in waves. 

“Yeah, yeah, just go get changed and brush your teeth,” Niles sighed, patting her head, before taking her place at the dresser and grabbing two shirts and two pairs of shorts. 

Corrin caught one of each with his face. 

Niles was laughing, hard.

“What the heck, Niles?” He squeaked, taking the clothing in arm, “I might’ve agreed to come here, but I did not come here to be assaulted!” he huffed, feigning anger as he turned his back towards Niles. 

“Right, right,” Niles snickered, “I was just offering clothes to the needy, though I wouldn't be opposed if you went without any at all…” 

“Gods---” he huffed, making sure Niles was facing the other way before quickly changing, tying the drawstrings for the shorts a bit tighter to fit around his thin waist, “Also, why do you have to be so much bigger than me?”

“I’m sure I am in more ways than one, though I would guess it would be due to genetics,” he said, barely dodging the shirt that was chucked his way. “Come on, don’t get so pouty~” he cooed. 

Nina peeked into the room, an almost devious look on her face as she glanced at the both of them, “What’re you guys up to?” she asked innocently. 

“Oh cut it out, we know you were thinking of those little fantasies of yours,” Niles laughed, settling on the floor and patting his lap, “Now come over here. I don’t want you being too cranky in the morning.”

Nina puffed out her cheeks in disapproval, before plopping down, holding a comb and two scrunchies for Niles to take. Corrin sat down on the bed, watching as Niles neatly parted the long hair into two even sections, before beginning to gently pull her hair into a plait, doing the same with the second section. Nina was lulled to sleep by her father, and soon enough, both plaits were tied, and Nina was fast asleep. 

“Do you do this every night?” Corrin asked, moving to lay against the wall when Niles shooed him. 

“Yeah, she’s a stubborn one,” he chuckled, setting her down between them, before laying down as well. It was a tight fit, but they made it work. Soon the light was clicked off, and a blanket was pulled to drape over the three of them. 

The flood of warmth that overcame Corrin was familiar, if not welcomed when he felt Nile’s hand rest loosely on his side, Nina shifting in between them until she was in a tight ball. 

His head sunk into a pillow as he shifted closer, closing his eyes.


End file.
